Maeve Potter and the Half-Blood Princess
by Koinaka
Summary: Maeve Potter thought that her life would return to normal after the end of the war, but that could not be further than the truth. With a hidden heritage comes new dangers, and Maeve soon finds herself entangled in the politics of a new world. Has she finished one war only to become involved in yet another?
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Maeve Potter thought that her life would return to normal after the end of the war, but that could not be further than the truth. With a hidden heritage comes new dangers, and Maeve soon finds herself entangled in the politics of a new world. Has she finished one war only to become involved in yet another?

This will be a crossover for both _Southern Vampire Mysteries_ and _True Blood_. I am going to use most of the events from the books, but with the addition of some characters from _True Blood. _ Also I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors. I haven't written in ages and am out of practice.

Chapter One

Maeve Liliana Potter's green eyes widened in shock, and her breath came out in an audible whoosh. "I'm sorry. I must have misheard you. Could you repeat that one more time?"

The look the goblin, Iron Jaw, gave The-Girl-Who-Lived was decidedly unimpressed.

"James Potter was not your biological father," he said once again.

"But...I don't—-how?"

"I assume the usual way such things occur." The goblin said delicately. "Surely this does not come as a complete surprise given the changes in your appearance. Was your...heritage...not one of the reasons you visited Gringotts today?"

Maeve flushed in embarrassment. Her hands went involuntarily to one of said changes to her appearance: her pointed ear lobes. She woke up on the morning of her 17th birthday looking very different than she had the night before. Her ears were now pointed, and while the rest of her appearance remained similar to her original looks, there were significant changes. Her once deep red hair had lightened considerably, and her facial features had become more ethereal, her eyes larger and brighter, her lips fuller, her cheekbones more pronounced.

Ron had stated on more than one occasion that she looked remarkably similar to Fleur Delacour or her sister, Gabrielle, because she had the same sort of magnetic attraction the two part-veela had as well although Maeve wasn't sure she really believed that. Oh, she knew that she was pretty enough. She had been told so ever since she was a small child. In fact, she believed that the only reason Aunt Petunia paid any attention to her at all was due to her looks and the way that having a pretty little girl under her care had opened doors to Aunt Petunia that would not have been opened with only the obscenely large Dudley in her care.

She smoothed her red curls over her now pointed ears self-consciously. "Yes, I thought maybe there was some creature blood in the Potter line." She shrugged. "With the war, I haven't had time to think about it until now. I heard that Gringotts had methods of determining ancestral lines that wizards don't have, so I thought it was worth the visit."

There was also the question of how her parents had been able to hide her otherworldly attributes. Ron assumed that some Potter had married either a veela or a part-veela at some point given her resemblance to the Delacours. He thought they hid her true appearance because of how British wizards felt about those with creature blood. Hermione had not shared his opinion, but as they were soon swept up in the frenzy of fleeing for their lives, hunting horcruxes, and waging war, they didn't have the time or energy to devote to researching her possible inheritance. Now that the war was over, and everything had returned to normal, Maeve thought it was time to get some answers.

"Indeed. Unfortunately, Gringotts is not privy to the personal affairs of wizards, so while I am unsure of who your biological father is, I can tell you that although he was not your biological father, James Potter listed you as his heir. Now that you have reached your majority, you will have access to the main Potter fortune alongside your trust fund."

Maeve felt as if all of the air had been knocked out of her. With everyone dead who may have known the truth, how would she ever find out who her real father was?

"However," the goblin continued when Maeve opened her mouth to ask that very question, "per the final will and testament of Lily Evans, a copy of your family tree was to be provided to you upon your 17th birthday if she had not done so prior to said date. As requested, the family tree was sealed upon completion for security and privacy purposes."

The goblin snapped his fingers, and a rolled up scroll of parchment appeared out of thin air. He handed the scroll to Maeve.

The witch hesitated for a moment before unrolling the scroll. She gave a cursory glance at the portion of the family tree detailing her mother's side of the family before focusing on the side dedicated to her father's side.

She scrunched her nose in confusion. There was no death date listed for her father, which was comforting, but for some reason, the family tree said he was born a thousand years ago.

"This isn't right. Something is wrong with this."

Iron Jaw's offense was etched into his entire body. "I assure you that every Gringotts commissioned family tree is guaranteed to be one-hundred percent accurate."

Maeve quickly back pedaled. "I'm sure it's nothing Gringotts did, but this just can't be right. I mean, even with magic, wizards don't live this long, and according to this scroll, my biological father, Niall Brigant, is a thousand years old."

Now it was the goblin's turn to look shocked. "Your biological father is Niall Brigant?" He questioned in a strangled voice.

At Maeve's nod, Iron Jaw sighed deeply. He pressed a long spindly finger to a crystal on his desk and spoke a few words in a harsh guttural language. He then turned his attention back to Maeve.

"I take it you are familiar with my...father," she surmised.

The goblin's gaze was inscrutable. "Quite." A pause. "Niall Brigant is the prince of the Sky Fae, and he is still very much alive."

Hope and despair warred within Maeve. James Potter was not her biological father. Not only that, but her father was alive. She had given up hope on having a real family, but the fact that he was not in her life despite both her mother and James being dead since she was fifteen months old spoke great lengths to his willingness to be a part of her life. Unless...

"Do you think that he knows about me?"

The goblin hesitated. "That remains to be seen."

"Do you know of a way to get in contact with him?"

"Not as such. Fairies very rarely interact with goblins if they can help it, but I do have an associate who is in contact with the prince's son, Fintan. He may be willing to help you."

Another snap of the goblin's fingers and second scroll of parchment appeared. A moment later, he passed the parchment over to Maeve. The parchment contained the name and address of the person in question: Desmond Cataliades in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Maeve spent the next week attempting to learn everything about the fae and fairies that she could only to be thwarted at nearly every turn. Apparently the fae were even more secretive than wizards which was saying something. The only book she had found in the Black library had only general information about the different types of fae, of which there were many. The only information the book really had about fairies themselves was how attractive they were and how that attraction often drew other supernatural races to fairies like a moth to a flame often to the detriment of the fairy in question.

She had attempted to send letters to Niall Brigant, Fintan Brigant, and Desmond Cataliades unsuccessfully. When given the letters, her owl, Archimedes, would take off only to go around in circles before bringing the letters back to her which meant they were either behind heavy wards...or they were dead. She had contemplated reaching out to some of the other family members listed on the family tree, in particular, she had two distant cousins who were only a few years older than her, but the goblins had warned her to be wary of reaching out to them with magical means as they may not be aware of either their heritage or the magical world at all since they were Muggles.

It was fast becoming apparent that if Maeve wanted to uncover the mystery of her birth and meet her family members, then she was going to have to make a trip to the United States. More than that, she was going to have to make that trip alone as Ron and Hermione had left for Australia the previous week to find her parents and reverse the memory charm Hermione had placed on them for their safety. However, she was more than a little wary.

Vampires in particular seemed to be the main contributor of fairy deaths thanks to the intoxicating effect fae blood had to vampires. With the vampires coming out of the proverbial coffin only a few short years before, this was more than a little concerning. Maeve had spent the majority of her life in a bubble of assumed safety either behind the blood wards at No. 4 Privet Drive or the formidable wards of Hogwarts. Even now, she was living behind the Fidelius Charm at No. 12 Grimmauld Place. Venturing into the so-called mecca for vampires, New Orleans, was something she was hesitant to do.

Maeve dithered over the decision for another week before finally deciding to go. Gringotts had been more than willing to set up everything that Maeve could need for her trip. In fact, the goblins had been more accommodating than she had ever known them to be about any little thing Maeve could need since discovering she was the daughter of the Sky fae prince. Of course, the goblin race being fae themselves likely had something to do with that. It was definitely a little overwhelming. Still, they had helped her purchase a wardrobe more befitting of her station-their words, not hers-and helped her start exploring any abilities she may have picked up due to her inheritance. They also gave her a crash course in what she needed to know in order to navigate America's supernatural world making sure she was aware of the political structure involved with both the vampires and the so-called two-natured.

They provided her with a dossier of anyone she should be aware of including the local vampire and two-natured authorities in Louisiana. Not that Maeve intended to interact with any of the vampires or werewolves in the area while she was in the States, but the goblins wanted her to be aware just in case. If only they could have given her a dossier on the fairies she was looking for! They remained annoyingly tight lipped regarding that although their reasoning was sound. Apparently, most fairies spent very little time in the human world, and instead, lived primarily in their own world, Faery.

Still, despite all of her preparations, she felt wholly unprepared for the trip when she finally took the international Portkey from Gringotts' London Branch to their New Orleans branch on June 17th.

The first thing Maeve noticed upon arriving in New Orleans was that it was hot. Ridiculously, uncomfortably hot. The moment she stepped out of Gringotts it smacked her in the face, and she began sweating almost immediately despite the light sundress she was wearing and the cooling charm she had cast before leaving.

The second thing she noticed was that even though she was trying to fly under the radar so to speak she felt as if everyone's eyes were on her. She took a deep breath and tried not to let her paranoia get to her. The war had only been over for a matter of weeks, but all of the Death Eaters who had survived the war had been rounded up. Plus, no one knew who she was in the Muggle world which was why she had decided against staying in the magical district in the first place. Here she hoped she could be just another person. So long as she stayed clear of any vampires, she figured would be absolutely fine. Still, it didn't stop her from being cautious or from despairing over how much attention her changed appearance garnered.

It only took her a few minutes to walk from the magical district to the hotel she was staying at, and Maeve spent that time taking in the sprawling city of New Orleans. She had been concerned about not being able to find the hotel, but it had been ridiculously easy. The hotel, the Windsor Court Hotel, was not only one of the tallest buildings she had ever seen, but it was also one of the most beautiful. Paintings, sculptures, persian rugs, flowers, marble flooring, and elegant furniture filled every inch of the lobby.

Her room-or suite as it turned out as she was staying in the presidential suite-was even more luxurious. No wonder the clerk checking her in had seemed so surprised when she gave them her information especially as she had no visible luggage since her trunk had been shrunk and was tucked into the bottomless clutch that Hermione had given to her for her last birthday.

Maeve spent the next little while exploring the suite. There was a large jacuzzi bath that was practically calling her name. Had she not had an appointment with Mr. Cataliades already scheduled-again, thanks to the goblins-then she would have stripped bare right then and there and spent the rest of the afternoon in the tub. Her second favorite part of the suite were the large wall-to-wall windows that gave her a very generous view of the city. She imagined that she could spend hours just looking outside the window watching the city. She was almost tempted to order room service and do just that, but when she saw that one of the restaurants in the hotel offered a special Traditional English Tea service, she decided to check that out instead.

Before leaving, she cast a refreshing charm on her clothes, reinforced her cooling charm, and splashed some cool water on her face. Then, she frowned at the state of her hair. The humidity was playing havoc with her curls giving her an almost Hermione-esque look. She mentally flipped through the series of hair charms in the spell book that Lavender Brown had given to her for Christmas first year. Hermione had been given one as well, but she refused to use it on principle, something about not giving into society prescribed ideas of feminine beauty or some such rot. Maeve, on the other hand, thought the book, filled with useful beauty charms, was a lifesaver. If not for those charms, she would have cut off all of her hair years ago. Instead, she had allowed it to grow until it reached the bottom of her back.

Maeve sighed and performed the series of intricate twists and jabs of one of the charms with her wand. Her hair braided and arranged itself into what the book described as a flower braid updo. She left some curls free on either side of her face to hide her pointed earlobes. It was a little more dressy than she usual did but given that she was about to go to her appointment with Mr. Cataliades she thought it would do. It turned out that Mr. Cataliades was a demon who practiced law primarily in the supernatural world.

Once her hair was finished, Maeve tucked her wand back into her clutch and headed down to Le Salon for the afternoon tea service. She was a little nervous about eating alone, but her nerves went away as soon as she walked into the restaurant. Between the relaxing harp music and the tea itself—a delightful blend of Darjeeling—the service was just what she needed before her meeting. She could have done without some of the sandwiches and confections served but overall, she planned on going back as many times as she was able to. However, the moment she stepped out of the cab she took to Mr. Cataliades's office, her nerves returned full force. She took a deep breath and steeled herself before she entered the office. Was she a Gryffindor or not?

She walked resolutely into the office and up to the receptionist's desk. The receptionist was a no nonsense looking woman who reminded Maeve of Professor McGonagall with her pulled back into the same tight bun and the same pinched look on her face.

"May I help you?" she asked in a tone that clearly indicated she would rather be doing anything but helping Maeve.

"Yes, you may," she said coolly. "I believe Mr. Cataliades is expecting me."

"Name?"

Maeve hesitated. She assumed that Mr. Cataliades was aware of the Wizarding world, but she didn't know how widespread that knowledge was. The office was located in the Muggle side of New Orleans, but if Mr. Cataliades specialized in supernatural clients, then that really didn't mean much. Since the waiting area was empty save the receptionist, she finally gave her name quietly. "Maeve Potter."

The receptionist's eyes widened before they darted furtively to the lightning bolt scar on her forehead. "Oh! Yes, of course, Ms. Potter. Right this way," she said as she guided Maeve to one of the many offices in the building.

Desmond Cataliades looked nothing like Maeve expected. He was a large man with a very round belly. He had round black eyes and what little hair he has was black as well. By the time she had finished examining the lawyer, the receptionist was gone, and the door was closed leaving the two alone.

"How can I be of service to you, Ms. Potter? Iron Jaw was less than forthcoming about your need for a lawyer, and I confess I myself am confused as to why you would travel so far from home for one." The demon gave Maeve a penetrating look. He folded his hands together in front of him and waited for her to respond.

"I recently discovered that James Potter was not my biological father."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I want to contact my biological father, and Iron Jaw thought you may be able to do so."

The demon hummed noncommittally. "I suppose that depends on who your father is. I do have many connections in the supernatural world."

She took a deep breath and pushed the hair covering her ears back revealing their tipped ends. "Niall Brigant is my father."

Mr. Cataliades's eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open in shock. His eyes then searched her face, perhaps for some trace of the fairy in question. "I assume you have proof of your claim."

Maeve nodded and pulled the scroll containing the family tree out of her bag. She then handed it to the lawyer.

He took a minute or so to look over the scroll before giving it back to her. "Well, Ms. Potter, you are certainly full of surprises."

She gave the man a self-deprecating smile. "Story of my life. Now, you see my dilemma. I'm not even sure if my father knows I exist much less how to contact him. Iron Jaw mentioned that you were friends with my...brother, Fintan. I was hoping you might be willing to contact him for me and facilitate a meeting."

Mr. Cataliades heaved a heavy sigh. "I would be more than happy to help you, Ms. Potter, but I want you to to think about this." He paused before asking, "How familiar are you with fairy politics?"

"Not familiar at all. The books I found contained very little information, and the goblins were either unwilling or unable to tell me much. They seemed to think it wouldn't matter since most fairies lived in Faery and not in the human world anyway."

The demon nodded. "Yes, that is true. However, there is more to it than that. There are two opposing factions of fairies. Many fairies enjoy living in the human world. Your father is one example. In recent years, he has even taken advantage of technological advances to help fairies and other fae blend into the human world better, and then of course, there is the financial side to consider as many of the fairies who choose to live in the human world invest heavily in human businesses.

But there are some fairies who don't think there should be any mingling between humans and fairies, financial or otherwise, but in particular, they don't believe fairies should procreate with humans. They believe those of mixed blood dilute fairy magic and are the reason that the birthrate of fairies has fallen to an alarming level. Because of your father's beliefs, he has made many powerful enemies. Niall was much younger when Fintan and Dermot were born, and things were not as tense between the faction at the time. It is a different time now, and there is much unrest in Faery between the two groups. You have just ended a war. Are you willing to risk becoming involved in another one?"

Silence prevailed while Maeve digested the new information. Was she fated to always be a half-blood? To always be hunted because of the circumstances of her birth?

"It's not that I'm eager to become involved in another war," she finally answered. "But what choice do I have? Whatever my mum and James did to hide the fact that I am part-fairy wore off with my magical majority, so now it is out there for everyone to see."

Mr. Cataliades frowned. "There is no mistaking your fairy heritage, that is true. Fintan himself always had difficulty blending into the human world. With your position in the Wizarding world, it is only a matter of time before someone discovers the truth."

She nodded. "Yes. The only reason they haven't done so already was because of the war. I haven't appeared in public since the final battle. I don't care if the Wizarding world knows who or what I am. I have done more than enough for that world, certainly more than they deserve given how they have treated me in the past. I've never been a part of a family, at least that I can remember, and I am willing to risk whatever I have to for the opportunity to be apart of one."

The demon's look was inscrutable. A long moment passed before he finally said, "Very well


	2. Chapter 2

Summary: Maeve Potter thought that her life would return to normal after the end of the war, but that could not be further than the truth. With a hidden heritage comes new dangers, and Maeve soon finds herself entangled in the politics of a new world. Has she finished one war only to become involved in yet another?

This will be a crossover for both _Southern Vampire Mysteries_ and _True Blood_. I am going to use most of the events from the books, but with the addition of some characters from _True Blood. _Also I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors. I haven't written in ages and am out of practice.

Chapter Two

Maeve did not hear from Mr. Cataliades again for several days after their first meeting. However, he had given her such a wealth of information during that meeting that Maeve needed the time to process everything anyway. The most jarring piece of information was her new lifespan. Provided she wasn't killed outright, which was becoming more and more a possibility given her precarious position in this new world, she would live an incredibly long life. Her twin brothers, Fintan and Dermot, were over seven hundred years old.

Maeve had no idea what to handle this. On one hand, the idea of living for hundreds of years was thrilling. She could only imagine how much she would be able to see, and learn, and do. On the other had, she would likely outlive everyone she knew. Even though wizards and witches aged at a slower pace than their Muggle counterparts and lived longer, they did not live for hundreds of years. She decided to just put that aside for now. She apparently had more than enough time to deal with her prolonged lifespan at a later date.

She now had a better understanding on what being a Sky fae meant to her. It explained so much especially why she felt so at home flying through the air on her Firebolt. She wondered if her being a Sky fae affected her Animagus form. Both she and Sirius had expected her form to be a fawn since her father's-or James Potter's, rather-animagus form was a stag. Instead, her form was a bird, a blue jay specifically. She loved being a bird, but she had wondered what it would be like to be able to turn into another animal. According to Cataliades, some fairies had the ability to shapeshift into different animals, so perhaps she would be able to find out one day.

Maeve spent the next few days exploring New Orleans. She was growing rather fond of the city in spite of her wariness about being around so many vampires. The Garden District was by far her favorite part of the city with its historic mansions and the parks filled with Spanish moss trees. She was even becoming accustomed to the heat although she still felt more like she was breathing water than air on some occasions. She had expected the heat to zap her energy away as it sometimes did during her long summer months of toil at the Dursleys, but the sunlight seemed to have the opposite effect on her, invigorating and energizing her instead. She supposed it had something to do with being a Sky fae and added it to the growing number of questions to ask her father when she finally met him.

Her evenings were often spent hidden away in her hotel studying for her N.E.W.T exams. Even though she had missed her last year at Hogwarts due to the war, Maeve had every intention of completing her schooling. Thanks to the replication charm, Maeve possessed a complete set of Hermione's class notes which were often much better than the textbooks instead. She had her own notes as well, but Hermione's were much more in depth than her own. Her studies led to another discovery. While she may not have discovered any fabled fairy power persay, her magic seemed to be much stronger than it was before. Her spells came quicker, easier, and with more oomph to them. It was a good thing she had decided to go through her entire spell repertoire in preparation for the exams as her spells had a tendency to be overpowered unless she was careful to control the amount of magic she put into each one.

Only this morning, she had cast several spells wandlessly and wordlessly-by accident no less! She had been lounging in her bed watching the telly for the better part of the morning with no desire to get up any time soon. Maeve had not often watched the telly at the Dursleys and now found that she had no patience for many of the ridiculous programs that plagued the airwaves. When one such program came on, Maeve went to change the channel only to discover the remote was across the room. The next thing she knew the remote was sailing through the air towards her. If she hadn't ducked when she did, she would probably have a rather large bruise on her forehead!

A similar thing occurred when she was digging through her trunk looking for something to wear for the day. She was a little tired of wearing sundresses, but many of her more casual clothes, i.e. the few pairs of shorts and jeans she had, had somehow disappeared. She was so frustrated by not being able to find what she was looking for that with a blast, all of the clothes in her trunk flew out and covered all of the nearby surfaces.

Maeve decided to treat herself to a spa day at the hotel's spa. She had never so much as had her hair trimmed by a professional, so she signed herself up for the works starting with a wrap and a massage followed by a manicure and pedicure. She was sure that Hermione would thoroughly disapprove of such frivolous activities, but Maeve had enjoyed them all immensely. After a year of living on the run, she thought she could do with some pampering.

A much more relaxed Maeve returned to her hotel room that evening to find a most unusual being waiting on her. She said being as it was obvious the girl was not human, though she could not be sure as to what she was. The girl was short, maybe an inch or so taller than Maeve which wasn't saying much as Maeve was considered tiny by most at 149 cm, with spikey red hair and an outfit that was so outlandish even Albus Dumbledore would have taken issue with it. When she saw Maeve, she gave her a wide smile showcasing a mouthful of sharp white teeth.

"Hihowareya?" she asked so quickly that Maeve was only able to keep up due to her experiences dealing with the twins who would often speak just as quickly especially when they were in the middle of a project and talking to just one another.

"I'm well." She paused before adding on, as an afterthought, "and yourself?"

The girl did not seem to notice Maeve's belated question at all. She gave her that wide toothy smile again. "Goodgood. GotamessageforyoufromCataliades." She leaned towards Maeve and pulled a sealed envelope out of seemingly nowhere and handed it to her. Then, before Maeve could respond, she was gone in a flash.

Maeve chuckled and shook her head. Strange girl, she mused as she unlocked her hotel door. Still relaxed from her massage, she sank down onto one of the sofas in the living area and opened up the sealed envelope. She read the letter three times before she became so angry the entire letter burst into flames. She extinguished the flame with a flick of her wand and a well aimed Aguamenti charm.

Mr. Cataliades had finally heard back from Fintan, and it was not good news. Not only did Fintan not want to speak to her or meet her, but he had not spoken with his father in years and had no intention of doing so for her. The demon told her not to lose hope because he would try to speak with Fintan again. He assured her it wasn't anything against her personally, but Fintan had always resented his father for damning him to what he considered a life on the fringes of society never being able to truly thrive in either the human world or the fairy world.

Tears welled up in her eyes. She wasn't sure what she had expected from her brother, really. It wasn't like he knew her or anything. Still, she had hoped that her being family would be enough especially since she could not reach out to Dermot since he was supposedly involved with the opposing faction-those that didn't want humans and fairies to mix-and Mr. Cataliades thought it would be too dangerous for her. She angrily wiped the tears away. She had had more than enough experience of being the unwanted relation. If Fintan didn't want to help her, then that was fine. If he did not want to welcome her to the family, well, he would have to get in line. The Dursley's had never wanted her either.

Mr. Cataliades's letter also contained one other possible lead. Her father had apparently done business with Eric Northman on occasion in the past. She knew from the dossier Gringotts provided that Eric Northman was the Vampire Sheriff of Area 5. She wasn't sure if she wanted to approach any vampire even if it was to get in contact with her father, but she was glad to know it was an option. If living through a war had taught her anything, then it had taught her sometimes you had to put aside your feelings and do unpleasant and dangerous things to get things done.

Before she contacted the vampire, though, she would reach out to the other fairies, Claudine, Claudette, and Claude, who lived in a city called Monroe in Northern Louisiana She hoped since her father was their grandfather they knew of a way to contact him. According to Iron Jaw, Claude and Claudette worked at some sort of club called Hooligans, so perhaps she would plan a visit there.

Then there were the Stackhouses, Jason and Sookie, in another Northern Louisiana city called Bon Temps. Niall was their great-grandfather, but she knew, from Mr. Cataliades, he hadn't had any contact with them per Fintan's wishes. Apparently, Fintan didn't want Maeve to have any contact with them either since they had no idea they were part-fairy or that Fintan was their grandfather. This did not endear Fintan to her at all. Being kept in the dark had never done her any good, but it wasn't her place to tell them anything, really, and who's to say they would even believe her if she did? With the exception of vampires, the rest of the supernaturals, or supes as Mr. Cataliades had termed them, were very much still hidden. They would likely think her mad.

Still, she wanted to meet them all, to get to know them if she could. She only wished she knew more about the Muggle world. Even though she had grown up there and had been forced to return every summer, she'd never really experienced it. She didn't know how to use a mobile telephone or a computer or drive a car or any of the other things she was sure to need to know if she was going to continue to stay in Louisiana. Sure, Gringotts had given her a magical ID she could use in lieu of a driver's license-she likened it to the psychic paper she remembered seeing on an old Doctor Who episode she had watched with Dudley-but it didn't give her the ability to actually drive.

She did know how to Apparate, of course, but she would have to be careful to not be seen doing so. Even then she had to have a very good idea of the location in question, or she would be risking being splinched which she knew from past experiences was dangerous. She could still remember the bloody mess Ron had been after being splinched during their horcrux hunt.

Frustrated, Maeve paced back and forth in front of the large window. The sun was beginning its descent into the sky signalling the coming night. She had been in the United States for almost a week now, and she was no closer to finding her father than she had been before. She was tired of waiting around, tired of being inactive. She had to do something.

She placed a call to the concierge requesting several outfits suitable to wear to a nightclub in her size and maps of both Monroe and Louisiana as well as driving directions to Hooligans. She was going to meet one member of her family today or die trying.

An hour later, Maeve was ready to leave the hotel. The majority of the dresses the concierge had brought her were so revealing she had no intention of wearing them, but she had found one that wasn't too bad. It was dark green one shoulder mini dress. While it may have been much shorter on someone taller than Maeve, it didn't make her feel like she was half naked, and although it was skin tight and left little to the imagination, she was covered up in all of the important places.

Monroe was a little further than she realized, about 4 hours away, but after studying all of the maps carefully, she felt like she had a handle on where Hooligans was. Luckily, it appeared to be in a more industrial part of the city, so as long as Maeve focused on the warehouses across the street, she should be fine, and if not, well, she could always obliviate anyone who saw. With her trusty clutch firmly in her hands, she twisted on the spot and Apparated. She popped back into existence behind the warehouses as expected. A lone cat was the only witnesses to her appearance, and it ran straight away startled by the loud noise.

Her first thought at seeing Hooligans was that she should have done a little more research on what sort of club it was because she had definitely not been expecting a strip club. She joined the throng of people, mostly women, lined up in front of the building. At least she knew she was in the right place because all everyone seemed to be talking about was Claude. Not that she blamed them after seeing the flyer several of them women waved around. The flyer was advertising something called Ladies night and showcased an incredibly attractive man with dark hair and dark eyes.

She was nervous about using her magical ID for the first time, but luckily, the man taking money and checking IDs at the door didn't even look twice at her ID before waving her inside. Of course, this was only after checking her out so thoroughly she wondered if he didn't have x-ray vision. Since she had never been to any sort of club, strip club or other, Maeve hadn't been sure what to expect. It took several seconds for her eyes to adjust to the dark atmosphere in the room. It was not completely dark, by any means. Brightly colored fluorescent lighting covered the entire room especially where the stage was located. The heavy beat of some sort of dance music played in the background, but all Maeve could hear was the crowd of women chanting Claude's name like a prayer.

"Claude, Claude, Claude."

Since most of the patrons seemed to be clamouring near the stage area, she was able to find an empty table in the back. She ordered a Coke from a scantily clad waitress and studied the people in the room. She thought a club would be filled with younger people, but a lot of the women chanting Claude's name looked middle-aged. There were also a surprising number of men in attendance.

A few minutes after Maeve received her Coke, a bright white light illuminated a circle on the stage drawing attention to an attractive blonde haired man who was walking towards the front of the stage. A hush fell over the room as he began to speak.

"Hello ladies!" His voice was husky with a pronounced accent. He gave everyone in the room what she assumed was supposed to be a sultry smile. "Welcome to ladies night at Hooligans. We have a very special line up planned for you. Please put your hands together for our very own Claude the dancing cowboy."

The crowd went wild when the lights dimmed, and Claude came onto the stage. The picture had not done him justice. Tall and broad shouldered with rippling black hair and the face of an angel, Claude was a vision of masculine beauty. He was dressed like a stereotypical cowboy in a leather vest and some sort of leather pants with fringes along the side. A cowboy hat pulled down low on his face completed his ensemble.

Maeve was ready to forget that Claude was technically her nephew when he ran a finger down the chiseled muscles of his chest to his washboard abs. The moment he started moving, all rational thought went out of her head. Entranced, all she could do was watch as his body moved fluidly around the stage, his hips gyrating this way and that as he discarded first his hat and then his vest. She could not take her eyes off of him. The air in the room became heavy, and she felt a compulsion try to settle into her mind. Her eyes narrowed. Magic. He was using magic to ensnare the audience. She hardly thought he needed it, seeing the way the crowd acted before he got on stage, but she supposed he must have a reason for it.

She spent the rest of his dance trying to figure out her next move. After making sure no one was looking in her direction, she pulled out her wand and cast the disillusionment charm on herself. She could use the invisibility cloak, but she didn't want to chance someone stepping on it. She moved through the room carefully as Claude finished up his dance and descended into the audience. The women closest to the stage rushed towards him. The bouncer, a bulky looking guy with a moustache, pushed back some of the more enthusiastic women, and then guided Claude towards a door on the right hand side of the stage. Maeve followed them as they weaved their way towards another set of doors. The security guard seemed oblivious to her presence, invisible as she was, but Claude had glanced furtively over his shoulder to where she was several times along the way.

He paused outside of one of the dressing room doors and turned to the security guard, a seductive smile playing on his cupid lips. He touched the man's arms. "I would love a bottle of water."

The security guard's eyes glazed over as he nodded. "Sure. I'll get you some water," the man said, his voice robotic. He walked back towards the bar.

When the man was gone, Claude went into the dressing room door and left the door open behind him. Maeve paused for only a moment before she followed. Claude appeared to be waiting for her...or at least he was waiting for something as he was standing in the room and watching the door expectantly, an impatient grumpy look maring his good looks. He had acquired a silk robe at some point, so he was at least covered, which made her a bit more comfortable because she felt more than a little uncomfortable being so close to her half naked nephew.

"I may not be able to see you, but I can feel you. Reveal yourself...or remove yourself. Your choice, but choose quickly."

She pursed her lips for a moment. She hadn't actually planned this far ahead. Still...in for a penny, in for a pound and all that. She pulled her wand out and cancelled the Disillusionment charm.

At her appearance, Claude cocked his head to the side, eyeing Maeve curiously as if she were a puzzle to solve all appearances of impatience gone. "Now, then, what do we have here? We're related, of that I am sure, but how? There have been no full-blooded fairy births in decades, so you must be at half-fairy, but that seems highly improbable… given the attitudes of those in question."

"You can tell then? What I am?"

"Of course, I can." His haughty tone reminded her of Draco Malfoy. "All fairies are able to feel a connection to their blood relations, though the connection is stronger between full-blooded fairies. For others, it depends on the surroundings. With so many humans around, it is much easier to feel the connection. I felt you the minute you stepped into the club."

She wasn't sure where to start. "I'm Maeve Potter," she finally settled on. "I only recently found out I was part fairy. My mother and my...adoptive...father put some sort of spell on me to hide the truth, but the spell wore off not that long ago when I hit my magical majority. I've been searching for my father ever since I discovered who he was." The words fell out of her in a rush. "I'm not even sure he knows I exist." Her face crumpled at the admission.

"Hmm. Care to share the name of your elusive father? I assume you want my help. That is the reason you came, correct? For my help?"

Maeve nodded. "Partly, yes. I also wanted to meet you. I thought I was an orphan, you see, and my mother's family wants nothing to do with me. Family is important to me. I've always wanted one."

"Family is important," he agreed.

"Your grandfather Niall...he's my father, so I suppose I'm your aunt."

Whatever Claude had been expecting it clearly had not been that. He sucked in a harsh breath. He did not say anything at first. He just walked over to the desk where a mobile phone was sitting and made a phone call. When whoever was on the phone answered, his voice was solemn. "Sister, we have a problem. Meet me at home in half an hour." He hung up before the other person, either Claudine or Claudette, she couldn't know for sure, said another word.

End Note: I am looking for a beta if anyone is interested in helping me make sure everything makes sense and is cohesive. It's a bit more difficult to blend three fandoms into one story than I expected, and it is only going to get more complicated once I actually introduce Maeve into the timeline of TB/SVM. (She arrives in the US on June 17th and met with Cataliades the same day. According to the SVM books, I can't remember which, Hooligans Ladies Night is on Thursday making the day Maeve goes to the club June 24th. Incidentally, this happens to be the day that Vampire Bill gives his speech at the Descendants of the Glorious Dead) I don't know if she will meet Sookie and the others in the next chapter, but she'll definitely meet Claudine.


	3. Chapter 3

Summary: Maeve Potter thought that her life would return to normal after the end of the war, but that could not be further than the truth. With a hidden heritage comes new dangers, and Maeve soon finds herself entangled in the politics of a new world. Has she finished one war only to become involved in yet another?

This will be a crossover for both _Southern Vampire Mysteries_ and _True Blood_. I am going to use most of the events from the books, but with the addition of some characters from _True Blood. _Also I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors. I haven't written in ages and am out of practice.

Chapter Three

An hour later, Maeve was sitting in the living room of Claude's home across from Claude and his two sisters, Claudine and Claudette, both of which were as tall, dark-haired, and attractive as their brother. She had just finished telling them everything, and now all three fairies were staring inquisitively at Maeve seemingly fascinated by her existence and talking amongst themselves without speaking to Maeve directly. Their conversation was strongly reminiscent of many conversations she had overheard between the Weasley twins with the added confusion of a third.

"Did you have any-" Claudine began. She was just as beautiful as Claude though she did not have the same haughty attitude that her brother had.

"Idea that grandfather had another human lover?" Claudette finished for her. Claudette appeared to be identical to Claudine in every way, but there was an edge to the way she sounded that was absent in Claudine. Along with the looks she kept shooting Maeve, she reminded her more of Claude.

Claude shook his head. "Of course not. Though that means very little as we all know how secretive Niall is. He holds his cards very close to his chest, as the humans say."

There was a hint of resentment in his voice and a steely look on his face. Maeve took note of both, they may bear investigating in the future especially if tensions were as high as Mr. Cataliades seemed to think.

"I wonder-" Claudette started.

"How long it went on?" Claude finished. He shrugged his broad shoulders. "Who knows?"

Claudine's expression turned thoughtful. "I have spoken to Grandfather very recently, and he gave no indication that he had another child-"

It was Maeve who interrupted this time. "I don't think he knows," she said. "My mum, Lily, was a witch-not Wiccan but wand-wielding-and we think that she must have cast some sort of spell that hid my fairy heritage. The spell wore off when I hit my magical majority on my 17th birthday."

Claudine was delighted. "A true witch! Are you a witch, too?"

She nodded. "I am."

Claudine squealed and clapped her hands excitedly. "Can you show us some magic?"

"Sure!" She agreed easily. Claudine's enthusiasm was contagious.

The only question was what to show them. Claudette and Claude were watching Maeve dubiously. Claude had already seen her use magic and a wand, so she wasn't sure why he seemed so distrustful of her ability to use magic. There were a lot of things she could do, but her Animagus transformation and the Patronus charm were definitely some of the more impressive spells in her repertoire.

Decision made, she concentrated. A moment later, a small blue bird sat in her place. She flew around the room several times before transforming back to herself.

Claudine and Claudette both seemed impressed by her transformation although Claudine was a bit more demonstrative.

"Oh bravo!' She cried out, clapping once more. "Can you transform into other animals?"

Maeve shook her head. "No, sorry! Unfortunately, witches can only have one Animagus form."

"Do you get to choose your form?" Claudette asked.

"No. No one really knows how a person's Animagus form is determined. There are loads of theories. Some people think it's related to your Patronus-another spell-since so many are similar, but that's not always the case. My Patronus is a stag, not a bird."

"What's a Patronus?" Claude asked. He had not had much of a reaction to her transformation at all, but his eyes were clearly reassessing Maeve.

She pulled her wand out and murmured the familiar spell, "Expecto Patronum." She watched as the silver form of Prongs came out the tip of her wand and made a circuit around the room before returning to Maeve's side. She smiled at the familiar form before dismissing it with a flick of her wand.

"How strange," Claudette said. "It seems to be giving off a feeling of hope. What is its purpose?"

"A Patronus is a sort of guardian spirit that protects against dementors." She shivered, remembering the last time she had encountered the creatures.

"A dementor," she continued at their confused expressions, "is a foul, loathsome creature. They are more of a wraith than a physical creature, but they feed on the happiness and hope of their victim, bringing the victim's worst memories to the forefront. If they get close enough, they have the ability to extract your soul. The Patronus charm is the only known way to fight a dementor, but even that does not actually kill the dementor. It only chases it away."

All three fairies gasped in horror. They had obviously never heard of a dementor. Maeve felt awful for having revealed the darker side of the magical world.

There was no trace of Claudine's excitement left. She looked truly toubled. "What happens to the soul after its extracted? Does it go on?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so. I can't be sure because I've never researched what happens to the victim's soul after the dementors Kiss someone-that's what we call it when they extract a soul-but I know that that their bodies don't last long."

Claude eyed her shrewdly. "And you've encountered these creatures before? These dementors?"

"I have. I was thirteen the first time I met a dementor."

A shudder went through her entire body as she remembered her first encounter. She could still feel how the cold seeped into her bones, how all of the happiness was wrested away from her leaving only hopelessness and despair behind. She could still hear her mother's screams echoing through her mind.

Lost in thought, she didn't notice when Claudine moved to embrace her. At the fairy's touch, a feeling of happiness filled her. She returned the embrace with a weak smile.

"I'm sorry," she offered when Claudine finally pulled away.

"No, I'm sorry," Claude said quietly, and he did look regretful at that. "I should not have pushed."

Claudine remained a comforting presence next to her. "It's fine," she assured him. "You didn't know."

Silence fell for several minutes before Claudette finally broke it. "So, what do we do now?" she asked the room as a whole.

Maeve was hesitant. "I suppose that's up to the three of you. I was hoping you would help me get in contact with Niall. The goblins said they didn't have a way to do so, and Fintan refused. He wants nothing to do with Nial. Or me for that matter."

"Gobins," muttered Claude derisively.

"Of course, we will help you," Claudine told Maeve soothingly. "We do have a way to contact our grandfather, a phone number. He may not get the message immediately especially if he's in Faery, but once he understands how important this is…. I'm sure it won't take him long to call us back."

Claude snorted. "I'm sure he'll just drop everything and come running. Another half-breed child…."

"Claude!" Claudine was astonished at Claude's words, but Claudette did not seem as shocked. Neither was Maeve truth be told. She was used to being considered less than due to not being a pureblood, only now, she was less than a pure fairy as opposed to a witch.

"Be polite," Claudette admonished before she turned to her sister. "Are you sure it is wise to tell grandfather over the phone?"

Claudine sighed. "I suppose not."

She pulled a mobile phone out of the purse sitting across from her and made the promised phone call. "Yes, it's Claudine. I would like to leave a message for Niall." There was a long pause. "Tell him that I have a gift for him, a magical Lily, and he should contact me for further information."

"And now what-we just sit here and wait?" Claude asked, his tone sullen and impatient.

"Of course not!" Claudine exclaimed. "You and Claudette can go back to the club if you want. I'll help Maeve get settled into her room."

"I'm sorry?" Maeve asked. "My room?"

"She can't stay here!" Claude looked horrified at the very idea of it.

Claudette said nothing, but she did not look pleased at all.

"Yes, she can, and she will. She can't stay in New Orleans unprotected especially once it becomes known who her father is. You know Grandfather will want her protected."

Maeve bristled at her statement. She was a grown woman. She had survived one war-hell, she had ended one war-she didn't need to be protected.

"I can protect myself!" She protested.

Claudine arched a dark brow. "Against fairies hundreds of years older than you who would do anything to see your father suffer?"

Maeve wilted. "I suppose not, but I don't want to be an inconvenience."

"You're not an inconvenience. You're family," Claudette responded. "And you're staying. Claudine's right, brother. Breandan and his followers would love nothing more than to get their hands on her."

"They don't know about her!" Claude insisted.

"But they will," Claudine said. "You know they will. They watch Grandfather too closely for something like this to stay hidden."

"Fine!" Claude stood, an angry sneer maring his lovely face. "You want to take on another hopeless case, Claudine? Be my guest." He stalked out of the house without another word.

Claudette sighed. "I'll go after him," she said and followed her brother out the door.

Claudine tried to give Maeve a bright smile, but there were hints of trouble lingering on her face. "How about some dinner?"

By the time Maeve went to bed that night, she was exhausted. Saying Claudine had a lot of energy was an understatement. Maeve enjoyed her company of course, but she was like the twins in the way that she always seemed to be moving or talking or doing. Still, as she drifted off to sleep, Maeve considered the day a roaring success. She had met three members of her family, and at least one of them liked her.

The next morning was a little awkward. Claudine was off to work, so Maeve was left alone with only Claudette and Claude for company. She had exchange pleasantries with Claudette over breakfast, but Claude had yet to emerge from his room.

After breakfast, Maeve Apparated back to the hotel to check out. She also wrote several letters, one to Mr. Cataliades and the other two to Ron and Hermione updating them on the what was going on and headed to the magical post office in New Orleans's magical center.

She had planned on exploring the alley a bit more as she had really only seen the inside of Gringotts, but after what Claudine and Claudette had said yesterday about the danger she could be in, she was reluctant to linger. Instead, she just dropped her post off and hurried to the Apparition center.

She Apparated back into the guest room where she was staying only to find Claude looking around her room. He staggered back at her sudden appearance, but recovered quickly.

"I was looking for you. We didn't know you had left," he said by way of an explanation but he had a shifty look she had seen before, on Draco Malfoy to be exact, during her sixth year. "You should have let someone know you were going or at least left us your phone number so we wouldn't worry. Now, come on, Claudine has news."

Maeve managed to hold in her scoff but only just. She didn't believe for one minute that Claude was worried about her. If anything, it was the opposite.

" I don't have a mobile number," she told him as they walked downstairs to the living room. "Most electronic devices don't work in magically dense environments. Plus no one I know even has one."

When she got back downstairs, both Claudine and Claudette were waiting for them. Claudine looked very relieved at seeing Maeve behind Claude.

"Good! You found her."

"I didn't find her; she teleported into the room while I was looking." He eyed Maeve speculatively. "How long have you been able to teleport?"

"Apparate," she corrected. "I took a class for it during my sixth year at Hogwarts-that's the school of magic I attended-but I didn't get my official license until after the end of the war. Most witches and wizards can Apparate but it's not the most pleasant experience so some choose to use the Floo network-that's where you travel through fireplaces," she clarified at their confused expressions. "So, you have news?"

"Yes," Claudine said. "Grandfather called when I was at work and left word that he would come soon."

"And here I am." A musical voice said from the doorway of the living room.

Maeve whipped her head around to stare incredulously at the newcomer sucking in a sharp breath as she did. She had never seen anyone as breathtakingly beautiful before. He was tall and thin with white blonde hair and bright green eyes that were similar to hers only so much more. It was her father-Niall Brigant.

Niall's attention went from where it had been, on Claudine, to Maeve at her startled noise, and for a moment, father and daughter just looked at one another. Maeve could not describe the look on his face, could not interpret its meaning, but she could discern one thing from his look. He was not shocked. There was no look of disbelief on his face, no confusion. Only…. Acceptance, perhaps, and resignation, definitely.

"Maeve," he said only one word but it spoke volumes and brought Maeve up short. He paused before gliding-there was no other way to describe his movements-towards her. "My daughter."

Maeve stumbled away from him. Her heart began to pound in her chest, and her breath came out in spurts.

He knew who she was.

He knew who she was.

He knew who she was.

She could feel her magic begin to react to her turbulent emotions, could feel it hovering beneath her skin, waiting to lash out. The items on the nearby coffee table began to rattle, and the lights above flickered.

"You knew," she said, her voice thick. "You knew about me. All of this time, you knew about me-didn't you?"

But Niall said nothing. He just looked at her, his eerie eyes drinking her in, a sad look on his heartbreakingly beautiful face.

His silence infuriated her. "Tell me!"

Her words were an echo of a young Tom Riddle's. She could still hear him commanding Professor Dumbledore to "tell he truth" in that cold dank orphanage all those years ago.

"Yes, I did. I knew about you."

The pain his admission caused Maeve was wrenching. All of the anger drained from her leaving only pain behind. "Then...why?"

Why had he stayed away? Why had he done nothing, said nothing? All of these years….why?

"Dear one, I stayed away to keep you safe. I helped your mother cloak your heritage using a little known magical ritual combined with fairy magic, but I knew that would be not be enough if the wrong people found out about you, if I was spotted visiting you. You were much safer hidden away as you were with your mother and James Potter."

She had mistakenly thought that knowing why would make things better, but it did not. It only served to fuel the flames of anger. "Safe?" she said, her voice sounding shrill to her own ears.

"Was I safe when a mad man hunted me down and killed my mother in front of me? Was I safe when he then turned his wand on me?" Her voice rose as she continued. "Was I safe when I spent the next ten years of my life being belittled and degraded and abused? Or perhaps I was safe when I was being tortured by the same mad man that killed my parents? Was I safe when I was forced to go to war-forced to kill, forced to die-before I ever even graduated from school?"

Her magic erupted from her then. All of the windows on the bottom floor of the house shattered covering the occupants with pieces of broken glass. Maeve closed her eyes tightly and tried to calm down. She took several deep breaths to no avail. She could not calm down. All she could think about was that he had known about her-known about her and yet did nothing-in order to keep her safe. It reminded her of Dumbledore's insistence that Maeve return to Privet Drive every summer for her own safety, nevermind how they treated her.

From the time she was small, she had always wished for some distant relative to come and save her. As she grew up, she realized there was no one. She had no parents. She was alone. She supposed that's why she had been so relentless in her search for her father. But now she knew. She had had a father out there all of this time. One who knew about her, yet did nothing. All for her purported safety.

Suddenly, she wanted to get away from her-away from him-away from it all. She couldn't bear to hear another word from his mouth or spend another second in his presence.

Her magic rose up to answer her request and Apparated her away, leaving four stunned fairies behind

* * *

I know this is a bit shorter than normal, but it felt right to end it here. I hope I have done Niall and Claudine justice. Next chapter brings more SVM /TB characters


	4. Chapter 4

Summary: Maeve Potter thought that her life would return to normal after the end of the war, but that could not be further than the truth. With a hidden heritage comes new dangers, and Maeve soon finds herself entangled in the politics of a new world. Has she finished one war only to become involved in yet another?

This will be a crossover for both Southern Vampire Mysteries and True Blood. I am going to use most of the events from the books, but with the addition of some characters from True Blood. Also I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors. I haven't written in ages and am out of practice.

Chapter Four

With a loud crack, Maeve appeared in a wooded area. Without even looking around, she fell to the ground sobbing uncontrollably. She wished she could go back to thinking that James Potter was her father. In truth, he was her father, in every way that counted. He had taken care of her and loved her. He had fought for her and eventually even died for her. What had Niall done for her? Left her alone… left her ignorant… and all for what? Her safety. If he had been so concerned about the safety of his children, perhaps he should have made sure he didn't have any. Not that Maeve was sorry to be alive, she was definitely happy that she was born, but still! And how concerned could he be if he never checked in on her after all of these years?

Maeve was not sure how much time passed until she was all cried out. Crying had never done her any good not at the Dursleys or at Hogwarts, but there was something cleansing about the physical representation of her grief. She wiped the tears off of her face and took in her surroundings. The sticky heat let her know that she was probably still in Louisiana. Since she had only been in cities so far, she had no idea how she ended up in the woods. She was confident that she hadn't gone too far, though.

The problem with accidental magic is that unlike intentional magic it responds to the innermost desires of the caster. Maeve's accidental magic had been very active as a child. When she was hungry, which was quite often, food would appear in her cupboard. Whenever Aunt Petunia would try to cut all of her beautiful hair off, it would grow back overnight as if it had never been cut at all. She had floated down the staircase once when an angry Dudley had pushed her from the top step. She had even accidentally Apparated one other time when Dudley and his croonies were chasing her. One minute she was running, and the next she was on the roof of the school cafeteria.

She tried to remember what exactly she had been thinking about when she had accidentally Apparated. She just remembered thinking about getting away from Niall. She sighed as she stood up, grabbing her discarded bottomless clutch as she did. At least she had had that in her hands when she Apparated, or she might be without her wand now! She brushed the leaves and dirt off of her light green sundress and looked around her. The trees were thick but not so thick that there was no sunlight breaking through such as was often the case in the Forbidden Forest. She could hear the twittering of birds as well as a cacophony of noises from other animals and insects. Beyond what she could see and hear, however, there was something else. Maeve could also feel a magical presence nearby. She didn't know what it was, but it felt similar to the magic Claude was using during his dance the other night.

She decided to investigate further and made her way through the woods even though she was definitely not dressed for it. It took a little while, perhaps half an hour or so, before she found herself in a small clearing. Once there, it only took her a moment of searching before she found the source of the magic. In the middle of the small clearing, she could see a slight wavering in the air. Something was there that she couldn't see.

Hesitantly, Maeve reached her hand out towards the distortion. She gasped and reared back when her hand seemingly disappeared through it. It was a portal-not only was it a portal, but it was one of the few portals to the Faery realm. The goblins had indicated there were once many portals around the world but that over the years, many of the portals had been closed. Mr. Cataliades had told her that there was one in Louisiana near where the Stackhouses lived that Fintan had used in the past, but he had not been specific as to its location.

Maeve wanted nothing more than to step through that portal and into Faery, but what then? Thanks to the warnings given to her by the triplets, Niall, and Mr. Cataliades, she had a pretty good idea of the danger she was likely to find on the other side, so even though her Gryffindor nature-and her own curiosity-clamoured for her to go into Faery, she did not. She probably should have Apparated right back to the triplets' home, so that they knew she was safe, but she could not stomach the idea of seeing any of them let alone Niall at the moment.

Instead, she sat on the ground with her legs folded beneath her and stared at the portal. She wished once again that she could turn back time, that she could go back to not knowing anything, back to the ignorance she had known before her 17th birthday and especially back to not knowing about Niall Brigant. How had everything become such a mess? She still couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that Niall had known about her. It tore at her heart. She just hadn't expected that at all.

She decided to make the most of her accidental magic. If this was truly the portal near where the Stackhouses lived, then perhaps she should make a stop there. The only problem was that she had no idea where their house was in relation to where she was now.

She took her wand out of her clutch and put it flat on her palm. "Point me," she whispered, her mind and magic concentrating on the Stackhouses. While it was not quite how the Point me spell generally worked, intention played such a huge part in magic that she hoped it would work in this matter.

Her wand spun around several times before pointing back towards the way she came. She walked back through the woods stopping every few meters to cast the spell again. It was only half a kilometer or so until she saw a large white farmhouse in the distance. As she approached the house, she was able to get a better look. There was a large screened in porch in the front of the house. Compared to the more modern house the triplets lived in, the house needed some work. The paint was dull in places and peeling in others. However, there was something about the house that reminded Maeve of the Burrow. Maybe it was the garden she could see off to the side or the lived in look of the front porch with a porch swing one side and a small table next to a chair on the other. A myriad of plants were also placed along the length of the porch. Whatever it was, she liked the look of the house.

She paused and took a deep breath. She could see two vehicles parked in front of the house, one was a yellow car that had seen better days, and the other was a black truck with pink and blue swirls going down the side, so she knew someone was home at least. Still, she had no idea what to do now that she was facing the house. She tried to straighten herself up, making sure that she did not look entirely unkempt. Her sundress was probably fine, but her hair was a mess. Knowing it was a lost cause, she just walked up to the front door with a confidence she did not really have and knocked.

An elderly woman answered the door. She was short and thin with white hair, bright blue eyes, and a kind face. Maeve liked the look of her instantly. She paused upon seeing Maeve, taking in her no doubt bedraggled appearance

"Can I help you?" she asked in a thick Southern accent, a concerned look on her face.

"I… yes," she stammered. "Are you Adele Stackhouse?"

"Why, yes, I am. And you are?"

"I'm Maeve Potter," she replied.

The elderly woman studied Maeve knowingly for a moment. "Is everything alright, dear?"

Maeve nodded her head. "Yes. I don't know why I'm here." She finally confessed. Nervously, she pushed her hair behind her ears accidentally exposing her pointed earlobes.

Adele Stackhouse's eyes widened in shock at the gesture. "Fintan…" she breathed out. "You're like him, aren't you?"

"Yes. He's my brother," she admitted. "Not that it matters to him, at least. He doesn't want anything to do with me." She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come."

She turned to leave, but then stopped when Adele said,. "Wait!"

"This was a mistake," she insisted. She lowered her voice. "You don't know me, I know, and your family doesn't know about Fintan, or anything, but I was so close…" She trailed off. "I just wanted to meet Sookie and Jason, if I could. I just found out that we're cousins, of a sort, and after everything that happened today, I was hoping to find just one member of my family who actually wanted me."

Adele watched Maeve as she rambled. When she fell silent, the elderly woman seemed to come to some decision as she gave a sharp nod of her head. "Tonight we're having a special meeting of my club, The Descendants of the Glorious Dead, at the Community Building. The meeting starts at 7:30. You can meet Sookie then."

A bright smile lit up Maeve's face. "Thank you. You have no idea what this means. I'll see you tonight."


End file.
